


Ghost

by TheAttleaades_Simpleton



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Flashbacks, Memories, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:47:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26846104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAttleaades_Simpleton/pseuds/TheAttleaades_Simpleton
Summary: After a long day of work, Germany is interrupted by Prussia. Expecting something foolish, Germany is taken by surprise when his brother asks him a question he never thought he would have to answer.
Relationships: Germany & Prussia (Hetalia)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46





	Ghost

Where did nations go when they died? Nobody knew. Even countries like Italy and Romano hadn't a clue-- and they had the privilege of seeing the never forgotten Roman Empire. Granted, said visits only occurred once every handful of decades, but it still didn't distract from the main topic. The main mystery that plagued every individual for years upon years upon years. Where did they go upon disappearing? Were nations like humans, in that aspect? Did they truly die, their bodies placed in the earth they had died on? The earth that they had fought so valiantly to protect and keep? It was something nobody liked to think about. So when Germany's brother had asked him about it, he hadn't known what to say. Not in that abrupt moment. 

However, it seemed that words would continue to evade him when he needed them most; that the perfect answers and words would never appear in 'the moment'. Germany had been working on his laptop, sitting at the desk in his room while writing up an essay to present at the next world conference regarding the economy he had been wearing himself down to uphold. Prussia had entered the room, his little bird sitting atop his pale white locks; all looked to be normal. If only he'd known.

"Oi, West." When he had called for him, Germany didn't first notice the break in his voice. He didn't hear the restraint, nor see the resigned glint in his scarlet gaze.

"Ja? What is it?" Germany replied, blue irises glued to the computer screen as he typed. His tone wasn't filled with any kind of interest, a more dull, half-hearted tone was what had seemed to come out by default, nowadays. He hadn't expected there to be a reason otherwise; normally when his older brother had called for him, it was about how they were out of beer or snacks. And each time, Germany had told him that was probably because he had decided to eat them all instead of taking out the trash and cleaning the kitchen despite Germany asking for it to be done before he was back from whatever business he needed to take care of. Prussia, however, frowned. He grasped the back of his little brother's chair and pulled him back, albeit with a bit of trouble. Said blond scowled, turning to the side in his seat to stare at his elder sibling with irritation.

"I'm trying to work, brother. If we're out of chips again just-"

"West." 

Germany didn't like this; didn't like this...tone. It wasn't unfamiliar, but still uncomfortable nonetheless. It was stern and serious; the complete opposite of his normal rough laughter followed by selfish praise. He was used to  _ that _ , not this tone that brought him back to when he was a child; a new country to enter the fray of bullets and war. His brother would only get such a tone with him if he had done something wrong, or even if something was going wrong in the midst of battle. Unease had settled itself in his stomach, and maybe that was why he had decided to close his laptop and pay attention. This wasn't normal.

"What is it." He repeated the question, however, it didn't come out that way. Germany cursed himself internally for sounding so fed up to the point where his question had acted and sounded more like a demand. Prussia, luckily, seemed to ignore it in favour of taking a seat at the end of Germany's bed. 

"I wanted to ask you something, but it's pretty heavy so..just don't freak out or piss your pants or something when I ask, okay?" 

What was that supposed to mean? Something heavy? The younger nation gave a hesitant nod, his blue irises glinting with suspicion. Prussia waited until that signal before letting out a particularly loaded breath.

"What do you think happens when someone like us dies?" 

It felt as if he had been hit in the stomach by an ongoing truck, the air in his lungs seemed to vanish in an instant. Silence filled the room, blanketing the air heavily as Germany tried to make out what exactly was being asked of him here. He wanted to hear what Germany thought of  _ what _ ? Germany's eyes flickered to his brother, trying to analyze what he was getting at, why he was asking such a concerning and sensitive question right out of the blue. His eyebrows furrowed in disarray, looking to the floor before wandering back up to see his sibling's face. The normal self-confident smirk was nowhere to be found, nor was the mischievous glint in his eyes; even Prussia's bird hadn't moved or made a single sound up to this point. He focused on it for a moment, the small animal was still, the only indication it was even alive being the missable rise and fall of it's small, fluffy chest; but even then it was lacking. It looked sick. Germany, however, remained silent. He twined his hands together and bit at his bottom lip. The young nation was thinking of how to answer, of how to react to this outlandish approach his brother had opted him to respond to. Where did nations go when they died? Germany hadn't a single clue, even in being closer than close to Italy, even in  _ meeting _ the great Roman Empire himself during one of the said visits, Germany was drawing a complete blank. He wasn't alive when Saxony or Bavaria had passed to become a part of the country, he never knew them as his brother had; had never witnessed the scene of a former country disappearing into thin air. If that was even how it went. 

Prussia was never clear when he asked all those years ago, he instead would wear this look of melancholy as he gazed out into the sea from the ship docks, his uniform rustling from the sea breeze, and Germany would stop him before he answered. He was small back then, and the sight of seeing such a grim expression on his big brother's face was something that always made him feel unsettled and on edge. It seemed that some things truly never change. 

Germany let out a breath through his nose before scratching his head, only realizing now that his hair had begun to dishevel while he had been working. Loose strands of blond feathered his forehead, the German swallowing thickly as he tried to organize his now messy and scattered thoughts.

"I...think that when a nation dies..." he started slowly, "that...they disappear. I...I think that if a nation dies from being conquered in a battle that they..." Germany hesitated, looking at his brother somewhat apprehensively, a dash of nervousness mixing in along with it. "Why- why are you asking me this?" 

Silence is what he received, and it did the opposite in soothing his concerns. Prussia's eyes looked unfocused and distracted-- not that they normally were stoic and stern like his own gaze happened to be most of the time, but there was always a focus-- an end goal, if you will, that his brother would have in mind. Even if that end goal was sneaking to Austria's house to splatter vibrant coloured paint on his beloved piano, or to ask Germany for money in flying to Spain's house when he was throwing a party with France, or even to visit Hungary in attempts to get her to go hunting with him instead of helping Austria clean. There was always a main focus for him, always a goal he needed to fulfill. _No.._ he suddenly thought, eyebrows furrowing, _there's something determined in those eyes...he_ **_is_** _looking for something out of this..._ But what? For one of the first times in his life as an adult country, Germany couldn't tell what Prussia was thinking, what his brother who had raised, trained, and unified him was thinking. And he hated to say that...it scared him.

"West, did Italy ever tell you about the Holy Roman Empire?" The Prussian finally said, forcing Germany out of his thoughts. His brother didn't give him time to respond before he continued. "Holy Roman Empire was a friend of mine, I worked with him and a lot of others waaaaay before you were born." Prussia gave a slight chuckle. Germany tensed. "I could give you the best history lesson of a lifetime, but that's for later. Holy Rome was a weird kid, but he was strong as hell. He was joined by many countries and countless territories, some even conquered-- Italy, out of everyone, he seemed to be the fondest of. He always went on about how cute he was, how much he missed him when they were separated. Granted, Holy Rome also thought that Italy was a chick for like, the longest time, but whatever." Germany's lips were a thin line of indifference. Why was he telling him this? And why was it that  _ now _ he was trying to lighten the grim atmosphere that  _ he _ had brought into the room? Prussia seemed to pick up on his younger brother's tense stature, dropping his previous attempts in trying to make his sibling look less emotionally constipated in favour of clearing his throat and continuing. "His empire fell in 1806. Disappeared, and I was one of the successors. He came to me one night, about a year after his Empire had fallen, and asked me to watch the stars with him. I had nothing I was doing, so I said sure, and joined him." 

Germany didn't like where this was going; something in his gut was telling him this story wasn't right. But he listened all the same, even if it was putting every one of his nerves on edge. 

"I remember sitting on a hill of green, a lake at the very bottom with flowers of white and blue. We sat there for hours in comfortable silence, until eventually, he asked me something," Prussia hesitated, eyes flashing with uncertainty. But he continued despite it, "he said,  _ 'Prussia, do you know what happens when a nation dies?'  _ " He paused for a second, giving a distant smile. "I told him I wasn't sure.

" _ 'Well, what would you want to happen if you were ever to die? What would you want after?' _

"I thought about it for a while as I watched the stars with him.

'I would want to be reunited with those I love; to see my kings again. I would want to see old man Fritz and ask if he was proud of me,' I said.

"It was quiet for a while longer after that, and we watched the open stretch of sky. I remember- I remember how he gave a soft laugh, and I looked over to see he was crying.

"'Why are you crying, Holy Rome?'

" _ 'Ah...I don't know, myself. I suppose I may be a bit envious of you, Prussia.' _

"'Envious? I-I mean, of course you are! It's not easy work to be as awesome as I am! I've got the best armies and so many awesome victories across the world! Ha! It's only natural you'd be jealous of how totally incredibly awesome I am!

"He laughed for a moment at me, and...I couldn't understand why. I was and always will be totally awesome and-" 

Prussia cut himself off and shook his head, careful of his small, feathered companion that was currently seated atop his hair. 

"He laughed for a moment, and I asked him what was so funny.

" _ 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything.' _

"It was quiet again for a bit until I looked over again. He seemed so...distraught.

"'Hey, why did you ask me that?'

" _ 'Oh I..' _

"...'

" _ 'Prussia, I've felt this ever since the day my Empire was dissolved, and I think...it's safe to say that my time in this world is coming to an end.' _

"'Oh.'"

Prussia's voice trailed off, his eyes pained at the remembrance of someone Germany never knew his brother had been so close with. Of course, he knew  _ of _ the infamous Holy Roman Empire-- it was part of his country's history, after all! But all he had heard was that he'd disappeared after going off somewhere, claiming he needed to take a trip but never saying as to where. The younger nation's eyes flickered around as he tried to comprehend what he was hearing; what he was seeing written all over his older brother's face. It was something so foreign to see in him, but Germany couldn't tear his eyes away because above all things, Prussia looked  _ sad _ . Of course, he knew his sibling wasn't void of any emotion outside of arrogance and gluttony, but the way he looked now was something he'd never thought he'd see in him; and he realized now, of all times, that he never wanted to in the first place. It made his chest tight at the thoughts that raced through his mind, some becoming unhinged and spiraling like a train being torn off the tracks. But he remained in silence, waiting for him to continue-- and after a moment, he did.

"I'd never...heard something like that being said to me before, West. I wasn't really sure what to say." His voice-- god his voice was so.... _ quiet _ . Prussia, the abolished Empire of fierce soldiers and merciless conquerors, the nation who dared to challenge  _ Russia _ in the Battle on the Ice in 1242, who could never enter a goddamned room without announcing himself as the most awesome nation to ever exist sounded  _ quiet _ at this moment. Germany was utterly befuddled, and it really only made his nervousness increase. Prussia let out a heavy exhale before one of his hands reached to the top of his head, his pointer finger presenting itself before the bird's chest, and after a moment of the poor thing trying it's best to ready itself, it hopped onto his finger with the least amount of energy Germany had ever seen. Although he wasn't completely educated on the existence of his sibling's little pet, Germany knew it wasn't normal for it to seem so..weak and lifeless. Normally, the little chick was about as energetic and spunky as his brother, always following him around and fluttering his wings, making noise that would sometimes even reach from Prussia's room in the basement to Germany's ears in the upstairs bedroom. But now, it almost seemed as if it were a step away from death as he watched Prussia caress the top of its head with a broken look in his eyes. It looked as if something was tearing him apart like a wolf tearing apart prey, but slower and more calculated to make each rip of flesh more painful than the last. 

"I...I looked back at the stars with him, and it was quiet again." He continued, an unmissable tremble in his voice before clearing his throat hastily. 

"'How..how long do you think you have left?' I asked him. Holy Rome said nothing and I...I could feel the suspense building in me because I knew what he was going to say to me. But he made me wait until he finally laughed again-- but it sounded so unlike him…

" _ 'I think I'll be gone tonight. God has been lenient with me this past year, Prussia. I wouldn't want to anger him any more by existing where and when I'm not supposed to.' _

He hesitated before continuing."I remember how sad his voice was when he looked at me...West, believe me when I say that I'll never forget the words he said to me-- even when I'm on my goddamned deathbed, I'll remember.

"He said,  _ 'I wish I was with Italy. I wish I was able to see her one last time before I die. I wanted...to tell her the truth.'  _ "

Prussia's face morphed into one that looked akin to anger but he knew that wasn't the case, his brother wasn't angry. He was trying not to cry.

"He looked back at the sky, and for the longest time, I didn't have a goddamned clue what to say. I was just a kid back then, you know. But.." Prussia let out a ragged breath, his lips curving into a trembling smile as he looked at his younger brother. "I said, 'I'm sorry I'm not Italy. I-I'm sorry you weren't able to spend your last moments around with your lover.' He looked at me with this...expression that I...could never describe, it w-was as if I had said something totally stupid.

" _ 'I may not be spending my final moments with my lover, but I'm still spending them with a friend, aren't I?'  _ "

Prussia looked to his brother with teary, red eyes, they were stern but broken, determined but suffering. There was more to this; more to the reasoning behind Prussia telling him this. 

"I smiled at him and nodded, and he smiled back. I remember we both looked up at the stars, I felt his hand grab mine-- and I found out then that he was shaking. So I held it back, and we watched the stars. I remember feeling him fade away from my grasp.

" _ 'Take care of Italy for me, will you?' _

"'I will. I promise, brother.'

"Next I looked over to him, he was gone."

Germany watched Prussia's eyes flicker down to his bird, the tip of his finger petting tenderly into the small bird's cheek, and it was then that he realized that the poor thing was trembling like a leaf, and it gave a weak  _ peep! _ before his brother gave him a gentle shush, eyes narrowing affectionately at his companion. Somehow, Germany felt that Prussia's bird understood him better than him, and if it wasn't such a grim atmosphere, the nation was near positive he would've gotten a decent chuckle from the thought that he was being outwitted by a feeble chick. He tore away from his thoughts once again to watch his sibling place a gentle kiss on the bird's head, to which it gave a pitiful tweet in reply before sinking into itself, Prussia moving the chick into his open palm and letting it rest in his hand. After a moment, the older nation's gaze was brought to his younger brother. It had felt like an eternity since those eyes had landed on him again, those eyes that suddenly had spoken so much more than just ' _ The Awesome Prussia _ '. Germany found himself lost in the way his brother looked at him, trying so goddamn hard to understand what the hell that expression meant, and why it made his chest tight and his throat clogged. He wanted to ask his previous question again-- that being why he was suddenly telling Germany this story out of nowhere, why he looked so much paler than normal, why his bird was looking as if it would break just from a breeze. But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried to speak, each word kept getting trapped in his throat. He watched as his brother suddenly stood up, holding his little friend in his cupped hand before he looked down at him and gave the bird a soft pat on the head. Prussia then approached the bedroom door, stopping in the doorway and turning half of him to face the younger nation. 

"Komm mit mir, bitte." He then said-- and it took Germany completely by surprise. The German hesitated, wondering to himself if he wanted to follow his brother after all that had just occurred. It wasn't that he was scared for himself, but a new seed of worry had begun to sprout in his chest; a new tree growing, intruding into his lungs and rooting in his stomach, each branch another string of worries and fears that all strung together. He paused halfway through getting up, only continuing after a moment of preparing himself for..whatever it was he knew he would never be prepared for in a million years.

To his surprise, Germany was led to the garden in their backyard with little interest from their hounds; the large animals seeming rather...down. It was almost as if they were aware of something that he was not. That they could sense what was wrong better than Germany could. When they had gotten downstairs, the three lifted their heads only to have their ears flatten and a small whine of protest sounded from their throats. He watched Prussia chuckle and give each one an affectionate pat on the head, their heads reluctantly resting back on the floor except Aster; their Doberman, who gave another whine and soft growl in protest. Germany watched as his brother chuckled and interrupted their path by kneeling before him, his cupped hand close to his chest in attempts to hide his small bird from the dog.  _ Perhaps he's afraid Aster would eat it..? _ Germany thought, but quickly dismissed the hypothesis. Alger, out of their other two dogs, was the best behaved-- although that didn't say much since all three of them could be immense trouble and strife in thunderstorms, he would never do such a thing. He was far too soft and close to his brother. However, he stiffened as the hound let out another huff and pressed his nose into Prussia's hand, whining as he did so, and he watched as his brother tensed, before giving him another soft laugh and mumbling something just a bit too quiet for Germany to hear. He put his head down, finally, after Prussia stood up, finally walking to the sliding glass door that led to the backyard and garden. 

It was night, Germany had realized, when they stepped outside, stars littering the open stretch of sky, not a single cloud in sight. The only light aside from the moon and stars being the light outside the back door, but even then, it was dim. He watched Prussia stand next to the table and chairs, the ones that he'd picked out for whenever Italy decided to come over. Those times were always pleasant, and at that table, he had countless memories of how he and the other nation would sit and chat, though it would be Italy who took over the conversation more often than not. But Germany didn't mind listening. He didn't mind at all.

But right now, those fond feelings felt sour and twisted, and it made Germany's skin crawl with anticipation. The scene before him was one he'd never thought would make him feel so...conflicted; Prussia standing still, looking up at the sky with the bird still cupped in his hand. His back was to him, but he could tell there was some kind of smile on his brother's face. Suddenly, the older nation took a deep breath and exhaled. 

"The air out here is always so awesome.." He heard him mutter, and Germany took a step forward, eyebrows knitting at confusion. It was warm out tonight, but upon taking a closer step to his brother he could see that the albino was trembling. He was shaking like a leaf. 

"Brother, why-"

"West, in this world, nothing lasts. You know that, ja?" Prussia interrupted, yet again. However, not sparing Germany a single look as he began to pace slowly over to their rose garden, the younger nation ignored the strike of annoyance that shot through his chest upon being unable to answer the question. He followed his brother closely, yet still keeping his distance. Though it was more for him than for his brother. He was expecting him to continue when he stopped at the edging that separated stone and grass from soft mulch and soil, but Prussia remained silent. 

"Well?" He suddenly said. It caught Germany off guard.

"W-Well-- I.." Germany swallowed thickly, trying is damnedest to keep the nervousness out of his voice, "...I know that this world is one that will continue to change..even us nations aren't exempt from that."

The air between them went quiet once more, and the older nation gave a slow nod in response to what he heard. He then kneeled before one of the rose bushes, his eyes never leaving his cupped hands. He then sighed and reached over in front of him, pale, trembling fingers digging into the soil of the garden, before pushing it aside. Germany let out a gasp, eyes widening in anger and panic that swept over him in a flash. His hard work was being decimated by his brother's  _ digging _ , and despite knowing that, Prussia continued without a moment's hesitation. He reached a hand out and took a hasty step forward to stop him.

"Hey! What do you think you're-"

"The truth about this world is that no matter what, we'll always be replaced by someone bigger and better." Germany stopped in his tracks, his reach slacking and his eyes still giving off the confused, uncertain glint as he watched the Prussian's back shift with each weak attempt in digging. Weak. Something so opposite of his brother, so completely false about the one he looked up to the very most. Something impossible for him to be; weak. But with every shift in his brother's movements, Prussia seemed to grow more and more drained; more and more tired. 

"Once a new Empire rises and shows that they can be better than what they came from, they're automatically a risk to their land. Why else would they rise than to make change where change is needed?" He paused in his movements for a second, giving a soft mumble to himself before continuing. "Take me as an example; I rose from the land and created my totally awesome empire, and as result after thousands of years, I unified you and helped you become the country that you are today. But in those years of my reign, I won time and time again. I was strong, and I still am! But, I was succeeded by you. Just like Holy Roman Empire was succeeded by me."

"O-Oh yeah? W-What exactly are you getting at, Prussia?!" Germany suddenly blurted out, his voice booming in a fit of his growing panic as he began to fit the puzzle pieces together as to why exactly he was getting such a talk, why exactly Prussia was asking such morbid questions and developing such a grim atmosphere that nowhere near fit him. He was fun-loving and narcissistic-- mischievous and lazy and loud and--

He couldn't be saying what Germany thought he was saying, and a spike of worry shot through him. Germany demanded his limbs move but he found himself immobile; unable to run over and force his brother to turn around like he wanted to, to shake the living daylights out of him and get back the brother he knew, the brother he loved and looked up to so dearly. The brother who'd protected him for so many years, who trained and prepared him for his life as a nation. The only family he'd ever had in his time alive. Prussia's movements paused, the muscles in his back and shoulders tensing as he sat there in his kneeled position. It wasn't very long before the white-haired sibling released a shuddering sigh, one that morphed into a wet, strained laugh, and Germany found himself taken aback by it. Prussia was undoubtedly crying, and yet, even now, he was determined not to show it, even if he knew he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it. 

"Ever since you became a unified nation, I've found myself growing more and more proud with each passing day. You're such a buzzkill to fun, but you work so hard and always give everything your all. Now when I look at how far you've come, I can't help but smile. You're always on time, always keep tidy, responsible; you have your shit together, even if you don't see it. But you work too damn hard all the time, you work until you're passed out at your desk, and I worry about you." 

"What do you-"

"But just because I worry doesn't mean I'm disappointed, because that's impossible. I want you to know that until you're piss-pants old and wrinkly! I've never been disappointed in you. The very thought is like saying I'm not the most awesomest nation in the whole world! Completely impossible and false!" 

"Brother, I don't-"

Germany stopped himself when he realized his brother's digging in the garden had ceased completely, and his eyes flickered over his shoulder to see that he had dug a decently deep hole, yet no smaller than his hand. Silence returned, the soft sound of windchimes flowing through the wind from their neighbor's house, and Prussia went completely still, looking down into his hands that now both held the small bird. Germany took another step over to him but stopping dead in his tracks upon finally putting the pieces together as to what exactly his brother had been doing. He stiffened as a cold chill ran up his spine, the blond shuddering in response. His fists unclenched, the German not even realizing when he'd begun to clench them in the first place. All he could do was watch the scene unfold before him.

Prussia placed the small, yellow chick into the grave, the animal completely still and lifeless as his brother did so, and Germany had to bite his tongue to keep himself grounded. His brother was silent, the air between them quieter than a graveyard as pale fingers caressed the dead bird's head for the last time. The amount of shock he was feeling was immeasurable, the pain in his chest spreading like a virus into his lungs, and it was impossible to miss the way his brother hesitated before pulling his finger away from the poor bird's fluffy head. The way he trembled and sniffled, a shuddering breath following. This..what did this mean? Everything had been the same way it's always been just a few days ago-- why did it all of a sudden feel like he'd been demoted to a passenger in his own life? It didn't make any sense to him, the blond felt grief and confusion clash, and it only worsened when Prussia seemed to release a soft, restrained sob as he began to push soil over the bird. It hurt to watch; hurt to hear such pain come from someone who was normally so joyful. Germany wanted to ask why this was happening, to ask if all of this fretting and lecturing had been over the loss of a bird-- but he didn't dare. He by no means hated the creature, but the thoughts he had developed upon hearing these stories and essays of text that almost seemed as if Prussia had recited them were ones far worse than the loss of a pet. Germany swallowed, eyes flickering uncertainly between the ground and his brother's back. He wanted to console his sibling, to let him grieve for his friend of countless decades. Germany had entered this world with the view of his brother and his pet, and because of that, he couldn't help but ask himself as to why now, of all times, after thousands of years, it was finally it's time to pass over. 

He watched in silence, the hole becoming more filled, and the fluffy yellow plumage disappearing with each shaky push of dirt until all that remained was a small mound; a bump in the soil. It was easily overlooked, but after today, Germany wasn't sure if he'd be able to see anything else. Prussia's hand patted the soil grave gently, tidying up the new cemetery of one before he paused, and proceeded to reach up to the nearest flower from their rose bush. He carefully plucked the flower, being mindful of the thorns before bringing it up to his nose and smelling the scent, pressing a kiss to the flower, before setting it where a headstone would be, the stem pushing into the earth with ease until the plant fit neatly against it. Germany took yet another step forward, wanting to clasp the older nation's shoulder in attempts to comfort him, but he was too slow. In the next second, Prussia slowly stood back up, clambering to his feet with more difficulty than needed, but stopped his younger brother when he had tried to offer him a shoulder to lean on. He sniffed, taking another deep breath before his eyes drifted up to the night sky, and Prussia couldn't help but chuckle.

"The nights are always so beautiful, West," Prussia muttered, Germany finding himself following his siblings' example as he gazed up at the stars, the ones he'd find himself looking at fondly as a child, the ones he would look up at with his brother by his side as they lay in the grassy fields in the countryside. Those memories were ones that he favoured the most, where they would make pictures in the stars and find the constellations, even sometimes creating new ones just because they wanted to. The stars that twinkled back at him, that had brought his brother so close to him and filled their minds with countless memories of love and joy. He'd always loved the night sky, had always held those memories close to his iron-guarded heart. It made him miss the times when they would lie in the grass, listening to crickets and katydids, watching as soft glows of yellow would introduce themselves as fireflies, flying into their vision before disappearing once again into the darkness of night. 

Germany stepped back as his brother suddenly turned to him, his eyes widening at the sight of his brother. He looked...different. His features were so much lighter, tears streaked his cheeks and an unrecognizable expression painting his face that only spoke of solemn acceptance, his eyes gleaming with pain and even  _ fear _ . Prussia looked so much paler, his eyes that were once a vibrant shade of scarlet, now pastel and cloudy. He looked..transparent, almost. He looked like a ghost. 

He was about to speak, to ask him if he was okay, but was silenced when Prussia held out his hand for him. His fingertips seemed...unreal. As if they were fading away.

"Would you like to watch the stars with me?"

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the read! I haven't written fanfiction in a long time so sorry it's a bit cruddy.


End file.
